Rail-joint



(No Model.)

W. H. GONNELL.

BA IL JOINT.

Patented May 5,1891.

'Jni'nesaasi 96 w a 1% UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. CONNELL, OF \VILMINGTON, DELAlVARE.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 451,454, dated May 5, 1891, Application filed July 29, 1890- Serial No. 360, 2 77. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. CONNELL, of Wilmington, county of New Castle, State of Delaware, have invented a certain new and useful Improved Rail-Joint, of which the folis to provide a rail-joint which will at the same time effect the horizontal and vertical alignment of the rails and be at the same time simple and comparatively inexpensive in construction.

The nature of my invention will be best understood as described in connection with the drawings in which it is illustrated, and the novel features which I desire to protect by Letters Patent are hereinafter clearly set forth in the claims.

Reference being now had to the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation showing the abutting ends of two rails coupled by my improved splice; Fig. 2, a cross-section taken on the line 0c 00 of Fig. 1; Fig. 8, a perspective view of one of the splice-bars preferably used in my joint; Fig. 4, a perspective view of the other splice-bar.

A A are the ends of the rails; B B, the adjacent ties or sleepers; O and D, the splicebars formed in the way in which I prefer to construct them for use in making my joint.

F F, &c., are bolts; E E, &c., washers, and ff, &c., nuts.

The splice -bars 6 consist of a plate 0, adapted to lie beneath and against the base of the rail having one edge 0 turned up over itself so as to grip the rail-flange and preferably beaded, as at 0 so as to come in contact with the said rail flange, at its end. On the other edge the plate 0 is slit at c c and the central portion c turned down at right angles and pierced with bolt-holes 0 as shown. The portions 0 c on each side of the portion 0 form extensions of the flat portion 0 of the plate, and, extending across the rail-base beyond its center line and preferably beyond its farther edge, they form platforms on which the rails rest, and which in turn rest upon the ties. The outer end of flat portion 0 and the extensions 0 c.

tween the ties, the portion 0 extending down between them. Preferably the edge in which the slits c are formed is beaded, as shown at The splice-plate D is made of a length somewhat less than that of the turned-down portion 0 of the complementary plate, and is inserted between the extensions 0 0 Like the plate 0, it consists of a flat plate D, adapted to rest against the bottom of the rail, having one edge d turned up over the plate to grip the flange of the rail-base and the other edge (1 turned down at right angles and pierced with bolt-holes (P, as shown.

The rail-joint is formed by placing the splice-bar C so that its ends will rest upon the ties B B and its upwardly-turned edge will grip the flanges of the rail ends A A, which are placed upon it, resting upon the The plate D is then placed in position between the ties, with its upwardly-turned edge (1' gripping the opposite flanges of the rail ends, and the two splice-bars are then bolted together by means of bolts F passing through the perforations in their downwardly-bent edges. Preferably washers E are placed against the downwardly-bent edge of one of the splice-bars, saidwashers beingof sufficient length to extend out beyond the plate, so that the nut f can be screwed on the bolts from above without difficulty.

It will be noticed that the effect of screwing the two plates together is to cause the flat plates to bind hard against the base of the rail, while at the same time the rails are tightly gripped by the upwardly-turned opposing flanges of the plates 0 and D. The downwardly-extending edges or] flanges 0f the plates form a strong supporting-beam to secure the vertical alignment of the rails, and the plate 0, resting, as it does, upon the sleepers or ties and being stiffened by its downwardly-extending flange, distributes a portion of the strains coming on the center of the joints to the ties instead of relying on the flanges and strength of the rails to support the joint, as in those constructions where the splice-bars do not rest upon the ties. In my ICO construction the plate 0 serves as the main support for the joint. The coacting plate I), while imparting strength and stiffness to the joint, only does so incidentally, and therefore I extend the downwardly-bent flange c farther downward than the corresponding flange (Z of the plate D. I11 order to secure the strength and stiffness of this flange without undue downward extension, I prefer to form upon it a bead c, and most conveniently this is rolled in the bar before it is slit and bent, and therefore it is shown at the ends of the extensions 0 a, as well as on the flange 0*.

Having now described my invention,wl1at I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A rail-splice, as C, consisting of a plate 0, slit at c" c and adapted to lie beneath the rail-base and upon the ties adjacent to the joint, and having one edge e bent upward over the plate and adapted to grip a flange of the rail-base, a central portion 0 of the other edge bent down and pierced with boltholes, and the outer portions c c of said edge extending out parallel to the fiat portion 0 of the plate and beyond its front edge, so as to form a fiat base for the rails, all substantiallv as and for the purpose specified.

2. A rail-splice, as C, consisting of a plate 0, beaded, as at c, on one edge, slit at 0'' c and adapted to lie beneath the rail-base and upon the ties adjacent to the joint, and having one edgec bent upward over the plate and adapted to grip a flange of the rail-base, a central portion 0 of the other edge bent down and pierced with bolt-holes, and the outer portions 0 c of said edge extending out parallel to the fiat portion 0 of the plate, all substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. A rail-joint having, in combination with the abutting rails and adjacent ties, a spliceplate 0, consisting of a plate 0, slit at 0 a having one edge a bent up over the plate to grip the rail-base, a flat portion 0, with end extensions 0 0 extending beneath and resting against the rail-base and upon the ties, and a central portion 0 bent down and pierced with bolt-holes, a plate D, adapted to pass between the extensions 0 0", having a plate (Z adapted to rest against the rail-base, one edge (1 turned up over said plate to grip the rail-base and the other edge (Z bent down and pierced with bolt-holes to correspond with those in the other plate, and bolts, as F, binding the plates 0 and D together and to the rail-base, all substantially as and for the purpose specified.

at. A rail-joint having, in combination with the abutting rails and adjacent ties, a spliceplate 0, consisting of a plate 0, slit at c 0, having one edge 0 bent up over the plate to grip the rail-base, a flat portion 0, with end extensions 0 0' extending beneath and resting against the rail-base and upon the ties, and a central portion 0 bent down and pierced with bolt-holes, a plate D, adapted to pass between the extensions 0" 0, having a plate (1 adapted to rest against the rail-base, one edge (1 turned up over said plate to grip the rail-base and the other edge (Z bent down and pierced with bolt-holes to correspond with those in the other plate, a washer or washers E, adapted to lie against the down wardly-bent flange of one of the plates and to extend out beyond the outer edge of said plate, and bolts, as F, extending through the downwardly-turned flanges of the plates and through the washers and having their nuts f resting against said washers, all substantially as and for the purpose specified.

WM. II. CONNELL.

\Vitnesses:

LIsLE S'roKEs, JOSHUA MATLACK, Jr. 

